limey
Shotfirer.
Posts: 75
|
Post by limey on Feb 14, 2007 14:33:14 GMT -5
Some of the best memories I have of working at 'pit was sitting in the yard, complete with pit clothes, lamp and rescuer, waiting to go underground. I didn't smoke - but those who did always had their "last fag" while we were waiting and talking - typically about what was on telly last night or, of course, football (and sometimes, MY love life!).
Then there was always the ritual of hiding a cigarette and a match so they could light up again as soon as they came up! To this day, the whole ritual makes me chuckle - and glad I was never a smoker!
(Pretty funny - the BBS software puts * in for the "a" in fag - must be homophobic software!)
|
|
|
Post by John on Feb 14, 2007 18:30:50 GMT -5
Thats the automatic censor Limey, I haven't added or taken any words out yet.
|
|
|
Post by John on Feb 14, 2007 18:32:24 GMT -5
I used to smoke way back and would leave my ciggies and lighter in my tool box in the workshops, I also had the "borrowed" canteen mug and my tea brewing gear for the end of the shift!
|
|
|
Post by abdaz on Feb 18, 2007 14:26:35 GMT -5
You mean to say that you actually stooped so low as as to STEAL a canteen mug?...... that has to be nearly as bad as pinching somebody else's pit socks or breaking into a pet shop to pinch a puppies dog bowl, you deserve to have been commuted to the colonies..... yuck, a canteen mug!!
|
|
|
Post by John on Feb 19, 2007 9:53:45 GMT -5
Shhhh, I hear they are still looking for that mug..
|
|
|
Post by abdaz on Feb 19, 2007 10:53:56 GMT -5
I can confirm that John, in fact most Police Stations in the UK have wanted posters for the Clifton Cowboy alias Cotgrave Cup Crook, The Canteen Kid etc, describing in detail this heinous act and of course accompanied by a photograph of a white, straight sided, chipped and stained internally container with a handle on the side which is too small to get a finger through, you know what I mean, I suppose it's just a standard MUGSHOT really.
|
|
|
Post by John on Feb 20, 2007 10:48:57 GMT -5
I did leave it when pit closed Guv, honest I did...
|
|
|
Post by aardvark on Feb 2, 2008 16:54:00 GMT -5
when i worked at Barrow / Barnsley main the men were bussed over to the barnsley main end as they had no proper baths or a non-smoker the bus trip could be hell nearly choking on the smoke espeacially during the summer(the windows never opened) some o the lads would hide their smokes in packs of girders in the yard, several times these got sent underground and were found when unloading and destroyed . Once we found a rabbit in a pack must have been chased there one of the lads got an 1/2 hour note to take it out ,the pit bottom deputy didn't beleive him until he opened the sack to show him
|
|
|
Post by John on Feb 2, 2008 17:33:16 GMT -5
when i worked at Barrow / Barnsley main the men were bussed over to the barnsley main end as they had no proper baths or a non-smoker the bus trip could be hell nearly choking on the smoke espeacially during the summer(the windows never opened) some o the lads would hide their smokes in packs of girders in the yard, several times these got sent underground and were found when unloading and destroyed . Once we found a rabbit in a pack must have been chased there one of the lads got an 1/2 hour note to take it out ,the pit bottom deputy didn't beleive him until he opened the sack to show him I know the feeling mate, when I was leading hand electrician nightshift at Angus Place colliery, I'd been off the ciggies many years. One of my jobs was to issue the work orders out to my staff and organise machine downtime with the shift undermanager and deputies. The report room was full of smokers choking me to death!
|
|
|
Post by Sam from Kent on Jan 2, 2011 12:26:10 GMT -5
I used to come up the pit go to the canteen and buy a pie, take the pie into the training office and leave the plate behind. The training office eventually had more plates than the canteen. One morning I went in to work and the assistant training officer had piled the plates up in my locker so that they all fell out as soon as I opened the door
|
|
|
Post by spanker on Apr 3, 2012 13:58:45 GMT -5
Can remember one Sat evening shift being the deputy on J40s unit and myself and an electrician were in the Ireland Colliery,Bill was doing his p.m's on the unit and i was in the main gate loader area with him when he asked me to bring him something from his work bag. I put my hand in his work bag and found matches and an opened pack of cigarettes, being one to have a laugh i went onto the face with fag in gob and box of matches and of course the tools he had asked for probably his mega. Bill was suprised to see me with the fag in me gob and said i never knew you smoked spanker i said i don't there from your bag thought you'd be dying for one. ;D Bill was a worrier and spluttered you wont tell any one will you, of course i didn't Bill but if your reading i have now! By the way you sparkies did all good tricians carry diodes around or was it just the experienced lads to get the jobs running?
|
|
|
Post by John on Apr 3, 2012 14:38:10 GMT -5
One thing you never got caught with at Cotgrave, a diode with wires fastened to then, it would get you sacked on the spot and a hefty fine for good luck and the NUM wouldn't back you either. Besides, there was no need with all the test functions on all GEB's plus the now mandatory test plug on every bank of GEB's.
Any lecko doing that trick on 1100 volts deserved all he got too!!
When I was an electrician at BG (British Gypsum) we used to carry a female pilot pin from a socket with a diode, a length of wire with a croc clip and the pin was set inside an insulating sleeve. All legal. All the GEB's were ancient outcasts from the coal board set up for 440 volts..
I only ever took my ciggies and lighter down the pit once, colliery that is, we smoked underground in gypsum mines. That once was an accident, and I was crapping myself in pit bottom in case a random search was going to be carried out, I used the excuse I had forgot my hammer and was rung out the pit next draw.... I always double checked my pockets before leaving the electric shop after that one!
|
|
rac
Shotfirer.
Posts: 87
|
Post by rac on Apr 3, 2012 15:30:05 GMT -5
Can remember one Sat evening shift being the deputy on J40s unit and myself and an electrician were in the Ireland Colliery,Bill was doing his p.m's on the unit and i was in the main gate loader area with him when he asked me to bring him something from his work bag. I put my hand in his work bag and found matches and an opened pack of cigarettes, being one to have a laugh i went onto the face with fag in gob and box of matches and of course the tools he had asked for probably his mega. Bill was suprised to see me with the fag in me gob and said i never knew you smoked spanker i said i don't there from your bag thought you'd be dying for one. ;D Bill was a worrier and spluttered you wont tell any one will you, of course i didn't Bill but if your reading i have now! By the way you sparkies did all good tricians carry diodes around or was it just the experienced lads to get the jobs running?
|
|
rac
Shotfirer.
Posts: 87
|
Post by rac on Apr 3, 2012 15:44:13 GMT -5
Can remember one Sat evening shift being the deputy on J40s unit and myself and an electrician were in the Ireland Colliery,Bill was doing his p.m's on the unit and i was in the main gate loader area with him when he asked me to bring him something from his work bag. I put my hand in his work bag and found matches and an opened pack of cigarettes, being one to have a laugh i went onto the face with fag in gob and box of matches and of course the tools he had asked for probably his mega. Bill was suprised to see me with the fag in me gob and said i never knew you smoked spanker i said i don't there from your bag thought you'd be dying for one. ;D Bill was a worrier and spluttered you wont tell any one will you, of course i didn't Bill but if your reading i have now! By the way you sparkies did all good tricians carry diodes around or was it just the experienced lads to get the jobs running? yep the trick was spanker knowin when to use it an when not.could save you a lot of grief or cause a lot. not really smoking related but similar,something that happened one nightshift.was working in the fitting shop doin a bit of burning/welding--homework of course !! when i got a phone call from the roadway deputy that a pump had packed up down the bottom of the drift.shot down (got a job to finish in the fitting shop)sorted it just as the deputy appeared put my hand in my pocket--bollocks THE FLINTGUN hmm.yeh ok now am off i said, ok see ya the deputy said.
|
|